What Is a Bluetooth® ExpressCard?

ExpressCard is a hardware standard used to replace Cardbus. It is an expansion interface for information devices. It is developed by the PCMCIA organization like CardBus. The backbone of the ExpressCard interface can be used with interfaces such as USB 2.0 or PCI Express. ) The device body is connected. As for the connection using the USB or PCI Express interface, it is determined by the hardware designer according to the needs and occasions of the application. At the same time, ExpressCard is also the same as the previous CardBus and PC Card, which have the function of hot plugging.

ExpressCard

ExpressCard is used to replace

A PC card is used to add computers and other communications and electronic devices such as memory,

ExpressCard technology is a new technology standard announced by the PCMCIA Association in the spring of 2003. The standard was developed by a number of PCMCIA member companies, including software giants Microsoft, PC manufacturers Dell, HP, and IBM; chip manufacturers Intel, SMSC, Qualcomm, and TI; module manufacturers Hitachi, Lexar Madia, and SCM; hardware manufacturing Vendors Delphi, FCI, Foxconn, ITT, JAE and Tyco. The development of this new standard by PCMCIA has also been supported by the USB Developer Forum (USB-IF) and

Although ExpressCard technology borrows many features from the existing PC card technology, the former achieves a more ideal balance between various features such as form factor, performance, reliability, adaptability, hot-plugging and automatic settings. There are many differences between the ExpressCard standard and the PC card.

1. Dimensions. The ExpressCard module is about half the size of a PC card in physical size and is also lighter in weight.

2. Transmission speed. ExpressCard module is better than PC card PCI

The physical size of the ExpressCard module comes in two sizes. One is an ExpressCard / 34 with a width of 34mm, and the other is an ExpressCard / 54 with a width of 54mm. They are both 75mm in length and 5mm in thickness. The host system can provide matching slots for either of these two width modules. It should be noted that one of the advantages of the 34mm module is that it is compatible with the 54mm slot, but not the other way around.

ExpressCard modules are available in two sizes:

· ExpressCard / 34: 34mm (W) x75mm (L) x5mm (H)

· ExpressCard / 54: 54mm (W) x75mm (L) x5mm (H)

The host system can provide any slot combination with 34- or 54-module width. 34-mm modules can work in slots designed for 54-mm-width modules, but not vice versa.

All PC Card-based applications can be replaced with ExpressCard cards. The smaller ExpressCard / 34 shape has a wider range of applications because it can provide sufficient power, sufficient heat dissipation and a small footprint, including: wired or wireless communications, various flash memory cards, One-inch) optical or magnetic storage, security identification cards and other applications.

The module developers hope to use the smaller ExpressCard / 34 shape more, but some applications can only use the ExpressCard / 54 module. Such as: smart card and FC card readers and 1.8-inch hard drives. The media used in these applications is wider than the media compatible with ExpressCard / 34 modules. With the development of chip technology, some of these applications will likely be moved to smaller 34 modules in the future. Such as TV FM cards and high-performance communication devices.

Once ExpressCard is popularized in both notebook and desktop PCs, it will have another significant effect, that is, it can easily share more peripherals between desktop PCs and notebook computers.

In the past, although common interfaces such as serial ports, parallel ports, PS / 2, and USB enabled common peripherals to be shared between laptops and desktop PCs, the high-speed I / O channels of these two types of computing platforms were "individual wars. -The inconsistencies in desktop PCI and notebook PC Card specifications prevent some devices from being shared by both. For example, users who have both desktop PCs and laptops need to purchase two types of network cards, PCI and PC Card, in order to access wired or wireless Ethernet LANs; similarly, an expensive PCI-standard TV receiving card cannot be obtained from Take down your desktop PC and use it on your laptop. This is often a waste of money for users.

What's worse, once the storage device adopts PCI or PC Card specifications (such as PC Card flash memory, CF card or memory stick via PC card adapter, etc.), it is not easy to exchange and save the data stored on the desktop PC and the laptop. Data often causes great inconvenience to users.

The adoption of ExpressCard will eliminate this obstacle. All equipment under the unified specification can be easily plugged and exchanged between two types of computing platforms, which not only saves user investment, but also facilitates high-speed data exchange.

Before the introduction of ExpressCard technology, it was not economical to apply hot-swap PC card technology to desktop systems on a large scale, and the ExpressCard slot will give desktop users the "sealed computing" function that laptops have long adopted.

"Sealed computer" means that the hardware can be disassembled without opening the machine. Current desktop PCs are not sealed computing systems because expansion slots such as PCI are inside the chassis. In order to add components to the system, users often need to use their own hands to open the case with a screwdriver and install it. In addition to inconvenience for users, this also puts pressure on system design manufacturers: they need to consider the security of this operation for users, and also coordinate the physical space for many cards, and consider their effectiveness cooling problem. The "closed computing" mode will allow designers to greatly reduce the physical space of the entire computer system and improve work efficiency. Users do not have to open the computer's sealed case, because these features can be added through technologies such as ExpressCard modules.

In addition, compared to serial buses, module size is reduced, allowing system manufacturers to produce smaller, thinner, and lighter platforms without having to consider performance requirements. Since ExpressCard can be implemented in the existing system interface, card manufacturers can easily provide a large number of satisfactory card functions without developing new chips. ^[1]